Use of mental maps for the formation of students‘ cognitive strategies in chemistry lessons

Abstract

The article updates the problem of using mental maps in the process of purposeful development of individual cognitive strategies of students in chemistry classes. Based on number of tasks that the concept of the New Ukrainian School sets before teachers, the necessity of individualizing education in order to form the individual cognitive experience of schoolchildren and key competencies is substantiated. It was found that an individual cognitive strategy is an organized, purposeful and regulated sequence of defined action that students perform during educational activities, in order to make learning easier, faster and more effective.

The purpose of the article is to research the methodological techniques of using mental maps as a means of developing individual cognitive strategies of students in chemistry classes.

Theoretical research methods – analysis, synthesis, modeling, as well as empirical methods

– a pedagogical experiment were used to find out the effectiveness of using mental maps in the process of developing the main cognitive strategies of students – mnemonic, cognitive and social. It has been found that the greatest effect of intelligence maps is given by students in the process of analyzing chemical phenomena and objects, as well as solving calculation problems.

At the empirical level, the positive influence of the technology of creating mental maps on the formation of students‟ cognitive experience, in particular their analytical and prognostic skills, as well as a means of intergroup communication, has been proven. The role of intelligence maps for the integrated perception of educational material, in ensuring the relationship between theoretical and practical skills of students, is substantiated. It was found that the use of the technology of creating mental maps provides an opportunity for students to model individual cognitive strategies depending on the complexity and practical orientation of the educational material in chemistry. Examples of mental maps are given, which are focused on the formation of appropriate individual strategies in students. Mind maps activate thinking processes and are a powerful tool for visualizing chemical information in an integrated form.